A land untraversed

At foot of Stone Mountains, near the grassy area!

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The poor lad had no idea where to go. All he knew was that he’d found a way down the mountain slopes and now he was down at the foot, finally after a few days of traveling. His paws were a little sore, having had to step on rocks and the pointy pieces chipping off and scratching up his paws. It was honestly awful, but Scott luckily was not unfamiliar with mountain terrain. It wasn’t his favorite place to be, though.

The male preferred forests and fields, places where he could actually maneuver, where he could hunt more easily. Scott preferred solid ground with no cliffs that could possibly have him fall to his death, thank you very much. He wasn’t for that.

But now that he was at the foot of the mountain, where was he supposed to go? There seemed to be so many sets of mountains around here… Scott hoped that if he stayed down in the valley, he would stay on course. However, so far he was lost, confused, and longing for home. For the Twilight Vanguard, Icarus, Ross, and the others. But mostly he longed for his father, who he knew was long gone. Poor, old man.

Scott would never forget him, and keep his family traditions going. He had made that promise.

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Even with the progress made in establishing their claim, Hydra was not yet content. It was good to know Osiris searched for more of their kin beyond where Hydra herself could travel, wanting to remain close to what was now home, but it was not enough. When she had the time to spare, she would range—sometimes with those that she had found, sometimes independently—to seek those she had lost herself. 

An inkstain on the canvas of pale gray and white caught her eye as Hydra's gaze scoured the baseline of the low-reaching mountain; for a moment, Hydra dared to hope it might be someone she sought. Licking her chops, she could not discern from the back of them alone whether or not this was the case... and the wind was to their advantage. There was a chance they already knew she was here, and so she paused (a good distance away) and observed, head lowering as she passively sniffed at the earth while watching him, waiting for any sign of recognition. Her remaining senses kept her vigilant to their other surroundings, one ear backturned and rotating outward to capture what the rest had yet to.

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On through the valley and towards… wherever he was going. Scott had no idea, and he didn’t know where he would end up if he kept walking. Wherever this was, it was way beyond the world he knew. For a moment the thought came to him that… maybe he’d died and this was like some sort of heaven or he had reincarnated in a sense or just… straight up teleported. Who knew at this point, certainly not him. It was just so odd, not knowing how he’d gotten here; he had no recollection of traveling here.

The wind swept in his face, and with it came a scent of another wolf. It was not a scent he recognized, bu it seemed to be coming from somewhere behind him, perhaps? He wasn’t really sure where it came from, exactly. Scott turned his head, looking around him, eyes squinting especially against the light of the sun to see anything better, if there was anything to begin with.

He wasn’t sure if he saw anything, but for a moment he thought he saw the outline of some creature. Another wolf, perhaps. The one he’d smelled? Scott felt a little uncomfortable, not sure if he was being watched. But now that he’d spotted them he guessed there was no need to pretend they weren’t there. ‘’Umm, guid day!’’ — Umm, guid day! he called out, smiling awkwardly and shyly. An uncertain tail wag followed. Scott wasn’t the best at socializing, but He wasn’t opposed to it. Maybe they could help him.

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He noticed her, she observed... and she waited for him to turn. He did, and he saw her—just as she saw him. If she was disappointed, it did not show—but it was clear to her this was not who she had been looking for by appearance alone. If that had not told her anything, his voice and accent might have... and yet, the latter tugged at her heartstrings. She did not know his voice, no, but the lilt was something she recognized... if only vaguely. Hydra had heard, some many years ago, a brogue that she would not forget, even if she could not distinctly remember who the speaker had been... simply their emerald eyes. 

These eyes, were a glacial blue. Beautiful, and paler than her own. He was a handsome fellow, but Hydra was a loyal woman. While she could appreciate the man for what he offered visually, the only eyes Hydra would swoon for—were she the sort of woman to swoon, anyway—were the rich honey of her husbands, @Dirge. It took her a moment to interpret his words and their meaning, not used to the thickness of this particular accent. In turn, she answered, “to you as well,” with a slow wave of her tail. His body language was open and easy to read, and Hydra took her own confident step toward him, not at all shy herself. Still, mindful of his own feelings, she would not crowd him. “I search for my family, and I wondered if you might have come across any others in your time here,” she hummed lowly, straight to the point. She would let him be, if he would rather keep to himself, once satisfied with whatever answer(s) she was provided... if she were to find any satisfaction at all in them. She supposed she might not hear what she wished, and would have to accept that just as well. 

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She returned, and Scott find himself smiling like a kid in a candy shop, expression and eyes bright. His tail started wagging, happy to see another friendly face. She sounded a lot less grumpy and stern than the last wolf he’d met, up in the mountains.

Searching for her family… much like he was searching for his, the Twilight Vanguard members. Scott was sad that he had to probably disappoint her. He doubted he could provide her much to help her with her search.

‘’Apologies, A'm no sure A can help ye much further. A'v only met ane wolf i this place, sae far.’’ — Apologies, I'm not sure I can help you much further. I've only met one wolf in this place, so far. he let her know, an apologetic look in his eyes, replacing the brightness he’d shown seconds earlier.

‘’A blue-gray male, wi silver flecks. Ummm, honey een- umm eyes. Around a year old? anyone thon- tha’ sounds familiar?’’ — A blue-gray male, with silver flecks. Ummm, honey eyes. Around a year old? Anyone that sounds familiar? Perhaps, or perhaps not, it was the only wolf he’d met so far, though.

He frowned lightly, wondering if he should ask the question. He might as well. ‘’Did ye also wake up i this world without ken- knowin’ hou ye got here an’ where ye are, ma'am?’’ — Did you also wake up in this world without knowing how you got here and where you are, ma'am? he asked her. Scott might have sounded crazy in that moment, but it was an honest question and he was still very puzzled as to what had happened.

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Hydra listened to the stranger, mind working to interpret what was said by the minute. To start, that was not too difficult with the power of deduction... and as he described the wolf he had come across, Hydra knew that this other he had found was a stranger to her as well. Not her family, at least. Blue-grey might have been a descriptor for one brother, his furs something of a roan, but Jarilo was both home... and his eyes not of honey. 

Were she disappointed by this, though, it was not revealed through her voice nor her features. Stony and stoic even still, Hydra drawled lowly, “I thank you for the description,” with a nod, before adding, “they do not,” in answer to his question. 

His next question perhaps she ought to have seen coming, but by the day she was becoming more desensitized to her own beginning here. “Indeed,” she drawled, “and I have found no answer as to why... only that we are not alone in that,” Hydra informed. “Have you forgotten yourself?” She asked next, taking some odd steps toward him—her tone was not accusatory or cold, and it was not said in the way many might ask the question. No, it was posed in earnest; she wondered if this stranger had awoken and experienced what Element had... and if this were a missing piece from her subordinates life, perhaps.

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Sorry for the wait, muse has been fickle lately.

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The female let him know the description did not sound familiar, that Scott had met someone a stranger to both of them. He nodded, and would leave it at that, considering he had not met anyone else besides the stranger in the mountains, and this lady. She too admitted to having woken up here, without knowing how she got here, and she had no explanation for it. and neither did Scott. It was as if they’d been placed here for a reason, but it was up to them to figure out what this reason could be. In the end they were left with more questions than answers.

She stepped closer, returning the question to him. Scott nodded readily. ‘’A- A remember only bits an’ pieces. A remember A came from a pack. A knew wolves thare but… A woke up without thaim. A guess A'm lookin’ for thaim now.’’ — I- I remember only bits and pieces. I remember I came from a pack. I knew wolves there but… I woke up without them. I guess I'm looking for them, now. he explained, giving a little shrug with his shoulders, bumping them upwards. Where they were, though, Scott had no idea. And some names, well- some names he could not even remember. It was as if they’d faded away, as if he’d not seen them or heard of them in years and they’d become a distant memory.

There was something he remembered, though. It seemed distant now, but he recalled the moment he woke up in the mountains. The dream he’d had before. He wasn’t sure if she’d had anything similar, but it might as well be worth mentioning, just in case…
‘’Before A woke, A haed a dream. It's vague but... A remember feelin pain. A think A... deed- died? but A am no sure… i-if that means anythin’.’’ — Before I woke, I had a dream. It's vague but... I remember feeling pain. I think I... died? But I am not sure if that means anything.

Maybe she’d had something like that, too. Or someone she’d met or knew? Or maybe it had been a completely random dream and it wasn’t linked to Scott waking up in this place, at all.

But then… why could he not remember how he got here??

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He spoke to waking, and being without those he knew. Strange, but not the strangest thing to be said... least of all by him, when he went on to finish his thoughts. Thus far, he was the first who had landed upon such a suspicion... and it confounded her. “You think you died?” She drawled, and despite her own incredulity behind the thought there was no inflection to her tone to indicate as much. 

“What would make you think that?” she wondered in earnest, before lodging into anything unasked by him. Hydra felt sure he believed as much to say it, but perhaps explaining it might have him think twice about the belief. How could that be, when here he stood? Not a newborn cub, as so many thought death might lead to, but grown and himself again? The matriarch had her own thoughts about death, and one was this: there would be no question that it had come. Because that would be it. A terrible thing without any answer. If there was a final question, then that was also life's final answer. The very last thing.

Meaning: nothing came after. 

But he had yet to ask her what he thought. So, for now, she simply listened.

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Having not talked to anyone in so long, he found himself blabbering, and he realized he did the moment she answered. Her sentences were short, and few in number, compared to all the words and thoughts that spilled out of his mouth. At her first question, Scott bit his lip and nodded, expression rather pensive, maybe even frightened. The thought that he could have died, and that’s why he was here. But then… why wasn’t he reborn? How did he wake up so fully developed, still the same as he used to be? In this place?

He had to think for a moment, wondering how to answer her question best. His thoughts returned to that dream he had before waking. ‘’Before A woke A haed a dream, aboot me dyin’. It wis durin’ a hunt. It's vague, but it felt real. A coud no feel pain, but A felt the dread, both i’ the dream, an upon wakin’.’’ — Before I woke I had a dream, about me dying. It was during a hunt. It's vague, but it felt real. I could not feel pain, but I felt the dread, both in the dream, and upon waking. he told her. He didn’t know how else to explain his worries.

‘’A dinnae ken- eh, know g- if that… wis real, or… if this is e'en real. Maybe A'm dreaming, now.’’ — I don't know if that was real, or if this is even real. Maybe I'm dreaming, now.

Maybe he was dead, maybe this was all a dream, or maybe it was something else? Was this place the afterlife, or had he been teleported one way or another? Had he perhaps been sleep walking?

He… he did not know.

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She listened, even though she did not humor the idea of his words being truth. She simply could not wrap her mind around that. What it might mean if it were true, to boot. But most of all because in her own mind, it simply did not make sense. And even as he spoke, there was nothing about it that made it begin to... which was, quite frankly, a relief. “The things that I believe might be of comfort to you, or perhaps they will not,” she started with, “and so I leave it to you to ask me my own thoughts on the matter, should you want to hear them. And should you wish to,” she hummed, “I ask that you step upon any of the sharper stones near to you, with whatever pressure you might feel comfortable with, and tell me if it hurts—or if you believe that, were you to press any harder, it could.” 

And with that, Hydra waited; she wondered if he would humor her any, for his own peace of mind if for nothing else. And if not, well, there was nothing she could do for him; what use was a dead man? And if a man believed he was dead, what would be next for him? What could be? The dead had nothing to live for—they were just... dead. How could one function, with that belief?

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She spoke, and Scott frowned for a bit, looking at the stones nearby, and wondering if he should. If he’d understood correctly, she asked him if he felt pain, and perhaps pain meant he was alive? But he wasn’t certain if that was what she meant. ‘’Gin – uhhh if – A feel pain A'm alive, richt?’’ — If I feel pain I'm alive, right? he mumbled, and found himself staring at the rocks for a bit longer. It made sense. The dead could not feel pain, right? Right? Scott was honestly having existential crisis here. What was true and what wasn’t?

Hesitantly he turned towards the rocks, and blue eyes searched for some sharp edges that would make it easy for him to feel pain or at least pressure. Placing his paw down on top of one he noticed the pressure, and a slight sting of pain. Ever so slight.

‘’A feel thon- tha’.’’ — I feel that. he mentioned, looking back at the female with a questioning expression. He guessed he was alive, after all.

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The accented man listened, and Hydra waited while she observed him. He seemed to understand her point, and after a moment of deliberating he decided to test the theory for himself. Interested in his own findings, Hydra waited... and when he looked back to her and spoke, delivering just that, the Ostrega took but two steps in his direction. He had done as she had asked, which meant he wished to know her own thoughts on the matter... and so it was now that she would share them.

“Death is death,” she hummed, “and in my experience, it is quite final. I have lost many in my lifetime to it,” she added, “and brought many to the grave myself, when it was necessary. And not one of them—friend, family, foe—have risen or returned. This place is strange,” she admitted, looking around them, “but the dead do not dream. They are still,” she remembered her father, limp and lifeless against Moonspear's stone, “They are cold,” her voice was low as she could recall her mother alongside him, breathing deaths rattle for a time before she, too, was still, her fathers body rigid. Fur no longer kept him warm; there was a chill there that no fire could warm. “The earth devours all of them until nothing is left to find of them, but for their bones,” she continued, regarding the man before her as she finished with: “but here we both stand, above the earth,” her tail waved, thinking then: and we are none of those things. 

She drew in a deep breath, feeling quite alive.

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‘’Death is death…’’ — Death is death… he mumbled, thinking about it. the female went on to say a bit more about wolves dying, and never getting up. Scott looked down at his paws, tried looking himself over. He was alive, in that case. He was breathing, he was standing, he was walking, feeling pain. He could do everything a living wolf could. There was no way he was dead. A soft sigh escaped him, but it wasn’t fully relief just yet. There was still that question nagging in the back of his head; then why did he have that dream about dying, before waking up here? Why did he wake up here alone? Where was everyone he cared about?

‘’We are none o’ thae things.’’ — We are none of those things. he repeated her words, letting it sink in. He wasn’t dead, there was no way. How else could he still be here? Then… how? ‘’Whit dae ye think happenit tae us, then?’’ — What do you think happened to us, then? was what he asked her next. There had to be an explanation for all this. He wanted to know her thoughts on the matter. Maybe she could make this all make sense.

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His question was a valid one, and one she had mulled over. But with a lack of any logical sort of answer to it, Hydra drove herself to other things. Rebuilding, for one, and finding what was lost for another. Dwelling on the unknown, on what felt like an unanswerable thing, felt like a waste. Still, though, even Hydra was subject to brief moments where she wondered. How could she not? 

“Something strange,” she drawled, willing to admit that much, “but not something I am certain of, yet. Time will either tell us, or it will not,” she hummed, shrugging her shoulders then, “though no one else I have met yet has the answer to that, either,” she revealed candidly, shifting her weight as she turned to look to the horizon as she finished with, “all I do know is that life... it is continuing on here. Perhaps the semantics of it should matter to me,” she considers, “but the safety of those I have found and continue to lead takes precedence over the unknown.” There was too much to be done than to be lost in what might be, she had found. 

But still, she learned more by the day. 

A protector to her very core, Hydra first sought to make sure that the place they had found themselves in was safe. It seemed so, thus far. “Do you remember your family?” She asked next. He had shown a willingness to help provide her with information on what might have been her own... while normally not the sort to repay the favor, truly a selfish woman more concerned with the needs of her own... the absence of them brought to the fore an awareness of the pain of living without. And who knew... perhaps he might find her family out there in the wilds himself, if not his own.

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he let her words echo through his head, not sure if he would ever find the answer to why he woke here. But perhaps it would stay a mystery forever, and they were not supposed to know why they had come to this world, to this place- wherever this was, exactly. He voiced his thoughts readily there and then. ‘’Perhaps we're no supposit tae know whit happenit tae us before or why an’ hou we came here.’’ — Perhaps we're not supposed to know what happened to us before or why and how we came here. The words left his mouth before he even realized he was saying them, and he shot the woman a pondering gaze.

Maybe he needed to stop trying to look into things, too much.

She asked about his family, then, and Scott had to think for a moment. ‘’A dinnae remember ma mother. Nor ma siblings. A know A haed twa but... A dinnae know where any o’ thaim are. A know ma father's passit away a while ago.’’ — I don't remember my mother. Nor my siblings. I know I had two but... I don't know where any of them are. I know my father's passed away a while ago. he began, thinking about the past. He only remembered the big things, the less detailed things. Faces were blurred and names forgotten. All he knew was that once he’d been part of three different packs.

‘’A wis born i’ a pack thon disbanded, A believe... then A left wi’ ma father an joinit his birth pack. After he passed, A came back tae ma birth place an’ joinit ‘nother pack... A dinnae remember anyone, thouch. Only ma father, an’ the leader o’ the last pack A wis a part o’.’’ — I was born in a pack that disbanded, I believe... then I left with my father and joined his birth pack. After he passed, I came back to my birth place and joined another pack... I don't remember anyone, though. Only my father, and the leader of the last pack I was a part of. It was a long story, but it was all he could remember. There would be no extra information after this. No new things he might suddenly remember.

‘’The leader's name o’ ma last pack wis Icarus. Icarus Dusk.’’ — The leader's name of my last pack was called Icarus. Icarus Dusk. was the last thing he remembered to add. Though, he doubted Icarus might be here. He doubted this wolf knew him.

OH, speaking of names- he was doing it again. ‘’A'm sae sorry. A'm Scott Peregrine Blaine-White. Scott.’’ — I'm so sorry. I'm Scott Peregrine Blaine-White. Scott. he said. God, ever since he’d woken up here he’d been so scatterbrained!

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“Perhaps,” she echoed, though that was yet another unknown. He continued to speak, and though it took Hydra several moments to understand the sum of it she came to the conclusion that perhaps he may not be missing anyone at all, if he could not remember them... nor searching for them in particular. But he did have a name for her that he recalled, and Hydra stored it away. If she met any with such a name, she would be certain to make note of it. The strangers history seemed a complicated one, and at the very least he could remember bits and pieces of it... even if it did not help him any. It was something, and that was always better than nothing she had found. 

He apologized then, and Hydra blinked as he introduced himself. “There is no need to be sorry,” she drawled in earnest, though perhaps that was more for herself than for him. After all, she had not gone out of her own way to introduce herself either... In the midst of their conversation, it had only just occurred to her that they had not exchanged names. Names meant little to her, in comparison to scent; names changed, and so did others features—but ones scent... that never changed. Oh, to be sure, there could be new additions to it—but it was one permanent identifier that was tried and true for the master tracker. 

But names had a place in ceremony, and Hydra would not withhold her own without good reason. She stepped toward him so as to gather his scent (should he permit her nearer) with that former thought in her head, minding her defenses with a dipped throat and flattened ears as she read the room with every step in case he became suddenly aggressive, even as she said, “I am Hydra Ostrega,” introducing herself in her low voice. There was nothing aggressive to her as she made way in his direction, appearing rather docile so as to not cause him undue stress.

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She moved closer to him as she introduced herself, lowering her body in a way that showed no hostility whatsoever. It even showed a sense of submission, in a way, but Scott could see she was still alert. There was no worry, though; he was not going to hurt her. There was no mean bone in his body. In response to her body language he did the same, ears pressed back lightly, body lowered a little, with a smile on his face and a wave of his tail.

‘’It's nice tae meet ye, Hydra.’’ — It's nice to meet you, Hydra. he returned. And when she sniffed him, taking in his scent, he did the same. It was clearly a mixed scent, one that was riddled with pack. She still had her own going through it, though the scent of others was in there. It was hard to tell which scent belonged to who, especially when he had no other faces or names to go off of.

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Poopy post is poopy, I think we could fade this thread out soonish?

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Hydra, Queen across the mountainous lands, did not flaunt her authority. It was something that came naturally to her, and when engaged in more civilized encounters such as this... well, she was a woman of the people. She would not hurt them if they were not a threat to her own, and she need not play peacock to display what was simply inherent. Her ears lifted upward as she inspected the myriad of scents upon him, snuffling quietly against his furs as she got to the heart of his own: pine. 

Withdrawing once finished, Hydra drawled, “and you as well. I must be resuming my search now, though I wish you well, Scott,” she hummed with a sway of her tail. She had enjoyed his company, and her own view on things here seemed more grounded to have him acknowledge and accept them. They were alive here, not dead. And she fully intended to make the most of her life here, and find what was lost. Should Scott have nothing else to say, she would move to depart to do as she had said.

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After their introduction, she was willing to leave. Of course, she was a pack wolf and therefor had many duties. Scott had no idea he was actually talking to the leader of a pack, nor was he going to remember her name later in a conversation with Leta because he was so scatterbrained lately. But either way, she wanted to depart. And While Scott knew he would feel a little lonely, he was fine with that. He nodded, accepting her request to get going. ‘’It wis nice tae meet ye, Hydra.’’ — It was nice to meet you, Hydra. he returned. And of course he would wish her well, too. ‘’An’ ye, ower- err, too’’ — And you, too

And with that, it looked like the wolves would be going their separate ways. Scott was still a little confused regarding how he’d gotten here and the dreams he’d had. But at least he’d gotten to speak to someone about it, and maybe everything would be okay.

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Thanks for the thread eeee. <3

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